Tick tock... Tick tock...
The clock is ringing...
June 16, YYYY.
Today is Saturday, there are only 10 days left until the important exam, the university entrance exam. This exam will decide whether a teenager's youth will be in the clouds or go hard in the fields. My brother, he has passed and stepped up to the level of a god; now he is living a luxurious life with his three girlfriends. I, Noah, Noah Drake, will also follow in my brother's footsteps. I will become such an 'elite' person.
Tonight's party at Club X, which I had to lie to my mom and my dad about by saying I was going to extra classes and studying for the university entrance exam, is the final party with my close friends.
Looking around, not a single one of my friends has a girlfriend yet. It just goes to show that if you hang out with certain people, you'll turn out like them.
Late at night, when my whole family had gone to sleep, returned home drunk, lying on my familiar bed with a heavy mind and a limp body, I.
"Another useless drinking party... this group of friends who hang out all day long really can't continue. I have to cut ties with them. Next time they invite me, I have to be tough. I have to move forward. I want a girlfriend."
.....
Just taking a nap, not lasting long, from somewhere, screams and shouts suddenly echoed in my ears, the wind blew past my body until it was cold, the soft bed surface was now strangely prickly, opening my eyes, I saw a vast, towering sky with countless twinkling stars, enchanting.
"The sky tonight..! So beautiful!"
Patting my head and sitting up, I suddenly realized that I was lying on a pile of dry grass on the mountainside. Feeling a bit bewildered... "Where is this? I was in bed sleeping."
The environment was enveloped in darkness, devoid of any light, except for the radiant glow of the golden moonlight—the largest and brightest moon I had ever witnessed. It was enchanting, ethereal, and enigmatic, yet undeniably peculiar.
'Why am I in this situation? My body feels completely uninjured; could it be that those individuals were just playing a prank and then left me here? Oh! ... Next time, I will make them pay'
'The echoes came from behind; these guys must be having a second round party.'
Following the sound, the closer it got, the more chaotic it became, like there was a fight. In the distance, there was even a bright fire that lit up a corner of the sky. Looking closer, there was a building burning down below. Inside, there was a group of people swinging shiny knives at each other. The scene was very chaotic, very barbaric.
A burning smell wafted over.
Noah patted his face with his hand.
"I feel it! This is not a dream. Look below, this is a massacre."
Immediately, his hair stood on end. He quickly lowered his head, hid, and carefully observed the situation.
After a while, the sound stopped. It seemed that this massacre had ended. One side had won, so they split into two groups. One group started to gather all the corpses in one place and burn them. The other group went in, looted the belongings, loaded them into the carriage, and left. Leading the way was a man in white, riding a white horse, looking young. This must be their boss. This group of people was dressed strangely, and rode in a horse drawn carriage, not showing any signs of modern civilization.
Standing high up, silently observing everything, Noah felt a bit dazed.
"Where are we? This group of people is dressed strangely, riding horses, riding carriages... what's with their strange language and that ancient-style architecture?"
A while after the group had gone far away, and the voices had stopped, although he was a bit scared, Noah still tried to walk closer to look at the scene to confirm. A mountain villa was engulfed in flames, with ruins everywhere. The smell of burnt corpses was unbearable, mixed with the scent of grilled meat, making him nauseous.
For the first time seeing the tragic scene of mass murder and arson, Noah's consciousness was a bit unable to accept it.
"This is too terrifying. This is a blatant robbery and murder case."
Realizing that he was in a dangerous situation, he quickly and carefully ran back the old way to where he woke up.
Too scared, Noah sat down against a large rock, curling up his legs. His mind was still dizzy from the alcohol as he closed his eyes and thought to himself...
"What the hell... this must be a dream."
Then he fell asleep without knowing it.
...
Raining.
At the foot of the rock, Noah woke up, with memories in his mind.
The strong, cool drops of water falling on his body began to wash away his dreams.
"So this is not a dream. My mind is less painful. Could it be that I have crossed over? What the hell is this... My whole body is soaked, it's raining, the wind is blowing non-stop, thunder and lightning. I'll find a place to take shelter from the rain first. Otherwise, catching a cold would be very troublesome."
"But around this mountain forest, where can I go to find someone, or go back to that mansion? Those bandits must have gone far away. If I stay here, I'll definitely get sick from the wind and rain."
...
The large and heavy raindrops fell straight on the wet body. The cold and strong wind blew through the swaying treetops, the rustling sound of thunder all around. Not a single person, not a single light, the sky was dark and gloomy.
in mind.
"Don't be scared... I need to find a place to shelter from the rain and dry my body... Or I'll get sick... Don't be scared anymore... There's nothing there..."
Reassure yourself of failure, Noah ran straight along the path in his memory and then everything became unfamiliar.
"Where is this? Damn it, I'm lost... Lost... No... Calm down. Panicking is definitely not the way. The rain is getting heavier. First, let's find a place to avoid the rain..."
Standing under the tree, Noah looked around. But then, without warning, there was a thunderclap right above his head. "Boom." Like a big hammer suddenly hitting his chest in a flash, he fell to his knees.
Feeling the ground at the tips of his fingers, his chest heaving as he tried to breathe, his heart was beating wildly in his chest.
"I'm still alive... No... this place can't be... It's raining so hard, and there's thunder and lightning... it's not good to be under the tree."
Another thunderclap rang out right above his head, and this time it was louder, closer, and longer than the last one.
"Boom... Boom... Boom..."
...Keep walking...
The raindrops were big and cold, falling on the body with a pattering sound. Very cold, very painful. Even though he tried to open his eyes, his vision was extremely blurred. All around were mountains and forests without any trace of civilization. Each step felt like walking on the boundary between life and death. The feeling gradually disappeared, replaced by an eerie silence, even though the rain was getting heavier.
"If I were to encounter bandits at this time... That would be great."
Suddenly, a gust of wind carrying a strange scent blew past.
"There's... the smell of burning flesh."
---
Following the scent against the wind, Noah finally arrived at the manor. The fire had gone out, but smoke was still rising in some places. The sign in front of the door was broken. Entering, he saw a pile of charred corpses. The smell of burnt flesh was pungent.
In front of the largest and most intact house, on the porch, was a middle-aged corpse wearing clothes but missing its head.
Going around inside the house, other than a few broken pieces, there was nothing left. Half of the house behind had collapsed.
"Sure enough, the thieves broke in. Pity the owner of this house."
The dark night was filled only with the sound of angry rain and howling wind. Sitting in a corner next to the remaining embers of the fire, Noah looked at the headless corpse lying there. The fur clothes were of a unique design, unlike anything he had ever seen before.
"This must be the owner of this house."
Outside, the wind howled, and the windows banged noisily.
"Uhm, I promise to bury you properly."
Feeling cold, Noah stared at the corpse's fur clothing for a moment.
"This is not the time to be afraid... I want to live."
"The owner of this place, due to the situation, I beg your permission to be rude."
Noah held his breath, ran over, and after some effort managed to take off the robe and quickly put it on.
Hiding in a corner, Noah muttered to himself,
"These bandits are bold, cruel, and have committed heinous crimes. Not only did they rob, but they also killed the people living here. You all didn't even get to die properly. Pity the people in this manor."
Outside, the wind howled louder. The banging of the windows and the continuous roar of thunder made the room feel even more ominous.
"I, a passerby, have no power to help you avenge this."
The rain and wind outside seemed to grow stronger.
Sitting in the corner, Noah silently felt the warmth from the robe on his body and ignored everything outside.
Suddenly, he discovered a bronze-colored metal token in the robe's pocket.
On it was an image of three tiger heads. On the back, there was a Nom or Han character engraved.
While Noah was still wondering what to do with the token, a lifeless mechanical voice suddenly rang out:
"The test has met the conditions.
The omnipotent support system greets the host."